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Indian mobility completes 15; Nokia celebrates

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CIOL Bureau
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MUMBAI, INDIA: Celebrating the significant milestone of 15 years of mobility in India, leading handset brand Nokia today announced a new initiative, Project Ujjwal, to drive 100 per cent household mobility in five villages in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh.

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As part of this initiative, Nokia India will provide mobile devices, preloaded with the Nokia Ovi Life Tools service, to over 500 households in 5 villages in Dehli Gram Sabha, for free, said a press release. This initiative is aimed at driving inclusive growth and positively impacting the social economic development in the region through mobility.

Nokia said it has been an integral part of the mobile revolution in the country since July 31, 1995 when the first mobile call was made using a Nokia phone on a Nokia network.

The historic call was made between the late Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and the then Union Communications Minister Sukh Ram.

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Those days using mobile was a costly affair, as a call cost Rs 16 for a minute. In the first six years, there were only five million subscribers and now, it is a whopping 635.51 million.

To reaffirm its long-term commitment to the Indian market and take mobility to the next level, Nokia is moving beyond product and features on the device and is adding services like Nokia Ovi Life Tools on the devices to further improve livelihood, enhance lives and entertain the mass market consumers.

Specifically developed for emerging markets, Nokia Ovi Life Tools addresses information gaps and helps in positively impacting life improvement and livelihood needs of consumers, said the press release.

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“Mobile revolution marked a significant step in the socio-economic development of the country. It brought people closer, democratized access to information, initiated inclusive growth, fulfilled aspirations and created economic opportunities,” said D. Shivakumar, managing director, Nokia India.

“At the onset of the next 15 years of this revolution, mobility will continue to impact lives, not only through voice and text communication, but through services which will foster communities across regions, divisions and socio economic backgrounds,” he added.

He said Nokia Ovi Life Tools is a transformational tool that has the ability to impact communities in emerging markets such as India.

Nokia said it has tied up with Datamation Foundation, a dedicated NGO working in the area, to effectively implement this initiative in the selected villages.

By using the service, rural consumers in these areas will be able to access information related to weather forecasts, crop advisory services like information on probable diseases, weather-based disruptions and tips for successful harvests.

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